Despite significant advances in public health and clinical medicine, infectious diseases continue to be a serious threat in both industrialized and developing countries. Diseases transmitted by food, water and of animal origin are major concerns worldwide and especially impose a significant disease burden in developing regions such as South America and Sub-Saharan Africa. More than two-thirds of emerging infectious diseases around the globe today are zoonotic. The lack of technical capacity and lack of interaction between technical experts, researchers and officials who work in different scientific disciplines are major limiting factors for the prevention and control of spread of such diseases. With these challenges in mind and building on to a successful inaugural conference held in 2011, we are organizing the 2nd International Congress on Pathogens at the Human-Animal Interface (ICOPHAI): One Health for Sustainable Development which will take place in Porto de Galinhas, Brazil, August 14-17, 2013. The goal of this congress is to stimulate interactions between scientists from developing and industrialized countries on priority thematic areas of diseases at the human, animal and ecosystem interface, as well as the social and economic impacts of these diseases. Furthermore, ICOPHAI 2013 will provide unique opportunities for participants to exchange knowledge and experiences on the key priority areas of infectious diseases. The conference will focus on selected thematic priority areas including one health meta-leadership, vector-borne zoonoses and impact on public health, emerging infectious diseases and the role of wildlife, foodborne and waterborne diseases. We have recruited internationally renowned keynote and plenary speakers to address each of the priority thematic areas. In addition, we anticipate that about 80 oral and 200 poster presentations, mostly from students and post-doctoral researchers from developing and industrialized countries, will be presented.